This article is a list of common terms and phrases used when discussing online services.
General
=======
Apple Software Updates
----------------------
Area on various online services and the Internet that contains the entire library of free Apple software updates.
Chats
-----
"Live" online discussions. Chats can be one on one or involve many people.
Discussions -----------------
Areas where online customers can post messages for public viewing. Responses to the posted information can usually be posted publicly, or sent privately to the person that originally posted the message.
GIF Files
---------
One of the standard formats for images transported through online services and the Internet. GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format and was developed by CompuServe.
Sysop (System Operator)
-----------------------
The person responsible for an online offering.
Technical Information Library (TIL)
----------------------------------- Apple Computer's official technical database, on the Worldwide Web at:
<http://til.info.apple.com/>
CompuServe
==========
Conference Room
---------------
A private area where people meet to exchange information one on one or with many people.
Forum
-----
The initial starting point for an area on CompuServe. Similar to a home page on the World Wide Web. (See: Internet, World Wide Web). The CompuServe Apple forum is comprised of 17 libraries, Message/Discussion board, and conference rooms.
GO Words
--------
Let customers go directly to a desired location on the service without having to navigate through multiple directories or levels.
Library
-------
An information base within a forum on CompuServe. A Library can contain binary files, GIF images (see GIF), or text-based information.
Searchable Database
-------------------
Database of text documents. Customers can perform Boolean (AND/OR/NOT) searches on these areas. The Apple Technical Information Library is a searchable database.
Internet
========
Cross-Post ----------
See Post.
Electronic Mail (e-mail)
------------------------
A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other computer users (or groups of users) via a communications network. An example of a common Internet e-mail address is: alley@apple.com.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
----------------------------
A protocol that lets a user on one host access, and transfer files to and from, another host over a network. Also, FTP is usually the name of the program the user invokes to execute the protocol. It is defined in STD 9, RFC 959. Guest access on an ftp site is referred to as anonymous access.
Flame
-----
A strong opinion and/or criticism of something, usually as a frank inflammatory statement, in an e-mail message. It is common to precede a flame with an indication of pending fire (such as FLAME ON!). A flame frequently contains profanity or derogatory statements. Flames are a sociological phenomenon of Usenet (see Usenet), where individuals may feel more bold at responding in an overly emotional manner than they would if they were speaking face to face. Flame Wars occur when people start flaming other people for flaming when they should not have.
Flame War
---------
See Flame.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
--------------------------------
Most newsgroups (see Newsgroup) in Usenet (see Usenet) maintain a FAQ that is available to individuals who access the newsgroup for the first time. The FAQ typically includes the most common questions and answers, along with facts and trivia about the newsgroup, and netiquette (see Netiquette) guidelines for the group (such as what should and should not be posted - see Post).
Gopher
------
A distributed information service that makes available hierarchical collections of information across the Internet.
Gopher uses a simple protocol that allows a single Gopher client to access information from any accessible Gopher server, providing the user with a single "Gopher space" of information.
Public domain versions of the client and server are available. This protocol was the forerunner of the World Wide Web.
Home Page
---------
The starting point for a person or entity publishing through the World Wide Web. A home page has a similar meaning to a forum (see Forum) on CompuServe.
Internet
--------
The Internet is a worldwide network of computer networks. It is comprised of thousands of separately administered networks of many sizes and types. Each of these networks is comprised of as many as tens of thousands of computers; the total number of individual users of the Internet is in the millions. This high level of connectivity fosters an unparalleled degree of communication, collaboration, resource sharing, and information access. One of the most commonly recognized areas of the Internet is Usenet (see Usenet).
HTTP
----
The server side of the World Wide Web. The Macintosh server is MacHTTP. The UNIX server is HTTPd.
Killfile
--------
A file an individual establishes on their local computer to watch for posts (see Post) that the individual does not want to receive. A killfile may watch for posts from a specific individual (in other words, a specific address) or for the occurrence of certain words in a topic line (such as to eliminate all posts in a thread (see Thread) in which the individual is not interested.
List Server (listserv mailing list)
-----------------------------------
A list of e-mail addresses (see Electronic Mail), used by a mail reflector, to forward messages to groups of people. Generally, a mailing list is used to discuss a certain set of topics, and different mailing lists discuss different topics. A mailing list may be moderated. This means that messages sent to the list are actually sent to a moderator who determines whether or not to send the messages on to everyone else. Requests to subscribe to, or leave (unsubscribe from), a mailing list should always be sent to the list's -request address.
For example, this address is for the IETF mailing list:
ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us).
Netiquette
----------
The written or unwritten guidelines of behavior in a newsgroup (see Newsgroup) or on the Internet as a whole. Netiquette rules for a newsgroup may include what is considered an acceptable and unacceptable topic for a post (see Post), whether or not flames (see Flame) are allowed, and whether or not profanity is used in the newsgroup. Some newsgroups have strict netiquette guidelines while others have none.
Newsgroup
---------
A delineated area in Usenet (see Usenet) in which people discuss a particular topic or topic area. Newsgroups are identified by a descriptive path name, such as: comp.sys.mac.graphics (computers/systems/macintosh/graphics), and rec.scuba (recreation/scuba). Unlike e-mail (see Electronic Mail), a post (see Post) in a newsgroup is available for anyone in the newsgroup to read.
Path
----
The string that identifies how a specific system is connected to an Internet server. For example, the path for an Apple employee in Austin, Texas might be john_smith@austin.apple.com. The server path is the part of the string after the "at" sign (@); each server in the path is separated by a period (.) and the last part of the path generally identifies the type of the address (such as 'com' for 'company' and 'edu' for an educational facility, and 'gov' for government). Path is also used to identify the different newsgroups in Usenet (see Newsgroup and Usenet).
Post
----
A single response in a newsgroup (see Newsgroup). A post is generally an introduction of a new question or comment about the newsgroup's topic, or it is a response to a previous post (see Thread). A post generally includes a topic line that identifies what the post is about (for example, "How do I download a graphic?" or "New graphic program that works great" might be topic lines for posts in the comp.sys.mac. graphics newsgroup). A post should not violate a newsgroup's netiquette (see Netiquette). When a post is addressed to several newsgroups, it is said to be Cross-Posted.
Serial Line IP (SLIP)
---------------------
A protocol used to run IP (Internet Protocol) over serial lines, such as telephone circuits or RS-232 cables, interconnecting two systems. SLIP is defined in RFC 1055.
Spam
----
A term commonly used when referring to a post (see Post) that is inappropriately cross-posted to many (or even all) newsgroups (see Newsgroup). A spam is often an advertisement for goods or services or even a political or religious message.
Subscribe
---------
See List Server.
TCP/IP Protocol Suite (the language of the Internet)
----------------------------------------------------
Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol. This is a common shorthand that refers to the suite of transport and application protocols which runs over IP.
Thread
------
A series of newsgroup posts (see Newsgroup and Post) that pertain to the same comment or question (or to other comments and questions about an original post). Each subsequent post is part of that post's thread. A thread frequently maintains the same title, or a variation of the title, as the original post (for example, "RE: How do I download a graphic?" or "In response to downloading a graphic" might be responses to an original post about downloading graphics).
Unsubscribe
-----------
See List Server.
Usenet
------
An area of the Internet that includes many different newsgroups (see Newsgroup). Usenet is what many people think of when they think of the Internet.
Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
------------------------------------
A distributed information service that offers simple natural language input, indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a "relevance feedback" mechanism that lets the results of initial searches influence future searches. Public domain implementations are available.
World Wide Web (WWW or W3)
--------------------------
A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by researchers at CERN in Switzerland. Users may create, edit, or browse hypertext documents. The clients and servers are freely available.
Internet Related Tools
======================
Anarchie
--------
Anarchie is a shareware agent that is able to find software titles you request by probing the Internet, then downloading them for you.
Eudora
------
Eudora is a popular shareware program for viewing, editing, and sending e-mail across the Internet.
Fetch
-----
Fetch is the client software for accessing ftp sites on the Internet. Ftp sites are used for viewing software archives and downloading files.
MacTCP
------
MacTCP is a control panel that allows your Macintosh to speak TCP/IP and operate on the Internet.
MacWeb
------
MacWeb is a World Wide Web client used for browsing www pages on the Internet. This client is similar to NCSA Mosaic.
Mosaic (NCSA Mosaic)
--------------------
A World Wide Web client for the Macintosh. This client is similar to MacWeb. The latest version is 1.0.3.
Turbo Gopher
------------
Turbo Gopher is the gopher client for Macintosh. Turbo Gopher is the product of the University on Minnesota (the Golden Gophers).
Universal Resource Locator (URL)
--------------------------------
A standard addressing scheme for locating services on the Internet. The URL for Apple's World Wide Web site is: http://www.info.apple.com
Some definitions are from the "Internet Users' Glossary", by Gary Scott Malkin and Tracy LaQuey Parker.